The Tech Tax & Online Abuse
What is the issue?
In the social media age, online abuse is the new source of women’s oppression, and women with intersecting identities are disproportionality targeted. Amnesty International found that one in five women in the UK have suffered online abuse or harassment, and Black women are 84% more likely than white women to be mentioned in abusive or problematic tweets.
The widespread use of social media has been the most significant factor accelerating and enabling intimidatory behaviour in recent years. Although social media helps to promote widespread access to ideas and engagement in debate, it also creates an intensely hostile online environment.
In 2018, the Intimidation in Public Life report published by the Committee on Standards in Public Life found that…
- 56% of candidates surveyed are concerned about abuse and intimidation, and 31% say they are fearful
- No female MP who was active on Twitter has been free from online intimidation
- Black and Asian women MPs – despite representing only 11% of all women in Westminster – received 35% more abusive tweets than white women MPs
What more can be done?
In October 2018, the UK Chancellor announced a new Digital Services Tax of 2% on tech giants like Facebook, Google and Twitter expecting to generate £350 million. According to the Office for National Statistics, this ‘tech tax’ raised £29 million in the first month of operation alone.
The ‘polluter pays’ principle, endorsed by the OECD for almost 50 years suggests that the companies enabling these harms to society should pay to help rectify the damage. By ring-fencing at least 10% of this new tax annually for ending online abuse against women and girls, the Government can commit at least £3.5 million to further establishing online standards which are fair and necessary to the growing digital economy.
To efficiently and effectively combat online abuse and violence against women and girls, we recommend this 10% should be pledged to civil society organisations to help fund their vital work to end online abuse, such as training on digital citizenship and online safety. These organisations are currently facing greater demand at a time when their funding and existence are at risk.
Read our joint letter to Oliver Dowden, Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, urging him to use the Tech Tax to fund online abuse and harassment prevention.
What can I do?
You can write to your MP asking them to use the Tech Tax to tackle online abuse against women and girls.
Template letter to MPs
Dear [your MP - find out who here]
Re: Using the Tech Tax to tackle online abuse against women and girls
I am writing to ask for your help in combatting online violence against women and girls by calling on the Chancellor to commit 10% of the Digital Services Tax to tackling online abuse of women and girls.
In the social media age, online abuse is the new source of women’s oppression, and women with intersecting identities are disproportionality targeted. Amnesty International found that one in five women in the UK have suffered online abuse or harassment, and Black women are 84% more likely than white women to be mentioned in abusive or problematic tweets. The use of digital spaces has increased significantly in light of COVID-19, and with it has come reports of an increase in abuse and harassment online.
In October 2018, the UK Chancellor announced a new Digital Services Tax of 2% on tech giants like Facebook, Google and Twitter expecting to generate £350 million. According to the Office for National Statistics, this ‘tech tax’ raised £29 million in the first month of operation alone. The ‘polluter pays’ principle, endorsed by the OECD for almost 50 years suggests that the companies that enable these harms to society should pay to help rectify the damage they have caused. By ring-fencing at least 10% of this new tax annually for ending online abuse against women and girls, the Government can commit at least £3.5 million to further establishing online standards which are fair and necessary to the growing digital economy. To efficiently and effectively combat online abuse and violence against women and girls, we recommend this 10% should be pledged to civil society organisations by helping to fund their vital work to end online abuse.
The new online harms regime is unlikely to be running until the end of 2021 at the earliest. We need more urgent action to end online abuse against women and girls and the digital services tax gives the government a means to do that.
Please write to the Chancellor on my behalf to urge him to commit 10% of the Digital Services Tax to tackling online abuse of women and girls.
Now is the time for the Government to invest in ending online abuse and in a safer web for tomorrow.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Yours sincerely,
[name and postcode]
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